Roasted Poussin with an Ice Wine Sauce

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. To roast the poussin, season the cavities with salt and freshly ground white pepper, and place 4 thyme sprigs, lemon and 2 crushed garlic cloves in the cavity of each bird. Truss the poussin with kitchen twine and rub the skin with the softened butter and season with salt and freshly ground white pepper. Place birds in the refrigerator to harden butter.

Place the poussins on a rack in a large roasting pan and roast them for 25 – 35 minutes, or until the juices run clear. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes before removing the string and carving the leg and breast. Reserve the carcasse for papardelle sauce (recipe follows)

In a wide pan, combine icewine, vinegar and soy sauce. Reduce by one third over medium heat. Strain mixture through a fine mesh sieve into small pot. Add grainy mustard and bring to a simmer.

Reduce heat and slowly whisk in the butter, a bit at a time. Season sauce with lemon juice, salt and freshly ground white pepper. Keep warm.

cooked al dente

In a large pan over high heat brown chicken carcasse in olive oil until they are dark golden brown. Deglaze pan with white wine & chicken stock. With a wooden spoon scrape bottom of pan to loosen any brown bits. Bring to a boil for 10 minutes. Strain sauce and reduce by one third to concentrate the flavour. Mix with precooked papardelle and season to taste. Serve immediately.

Toss papardelle with sauce and season to taste. Place in the centre of a large plate and top with a piece of dark and white meat. Spoon sauce over and serve immediately.